Viewsonic G Tablet at Office Depot for $400

I have good news and bad news. Good news first: Android tablets are starting to appear at more and more retailers. Bad news: most of them are not very good.

This Viewsonic G Tablet showed up at Seaï»¿rs and Staples first, and now Office Depot will be offering it as well. They all have it for $399, so you can choose which store you like most. The first reviews are not very forgiving, but the specs at least are pretty great:

NVIDIA Tegra 2 at 1.0 GHz

Android 2.2 Froyo

512MB of RAM

1024 x 600 resolution capacitive screen at 10.1 inches

USB

HDMI

802.11n Wi-Fi

Bluetooth 2.1

16GB of storage

1.3 megapixel camera

3500mAh/7.4V battery

The combination of Tegra 2 and that large battery mean great battery life. The other specs are nothing to scoff at either, but actual usage begs to differ. This device does not come with any sort of app downloading capability. There is no Android Market, and no GetJar or alternative markets either. You must sideload any apps you want. The device does not come with any Google Apps pre-installed. That is not to say that it is impossible to get them on there. There have already been various hacks, with lots of YouTube videos giving advice on how to get the GMail app or Android Market on there.

My conclusion on this is a wait-and-see approach. It may turn out that it is really a great tablet, but it is not such right out of the box. At least read a few reviews first.

The press release from Office Depot is below:

Office Depot Announces Availability of the ViewSonic G Tabletâ„¢ Just in Time for the Holidays

BOCA RATON, Fla.-(BUSINESS WIRE)-Office Depot (NYSE: ODP), a leading global provider of office products and services, today announced the availability of the ViewSonic G Tabletâ„¢, an Androidâ„¢-based tablet computer, at retail store locations nationwide and online at www.officedepot.com.

Featuring a 10-inch LCD multi-touch screen, 1.3MP front-facing camera, 16 GB internal memory and microSD card slot, the G Tablet is sure to be a number one item for the gadget guru on your holiday list this season. Powered by Google's Android operating system, the ViewSonic G Tablet is equipped to handle mobile applications, play games in HD, and surf the web at blazing speeds when connected to a wireless hotspot.

"Android-based tablets are going to be one of the hottest items of the holiday season, and Office Depot is thrilled to be one of the first retailers to carry this much anticipated product," said Randy Wick, Vice President of Merchandising for Office Depot.

The ViewSonic G Tablet is available for $399.

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